OBJECTIVETo study genotype distribution and the characteristics of hepatitis B virus (HBV) in Uighur patients with chronic hepatitis B (CHB) in Xinjiang, China.

METHODSType specific primers and PCR were used to detect the HBV genotypes of 127 Uighur CHB patients in Xinjiang. Genotyping results were confirmed by PCR product sequencing.

RESULTSAmong the 127 patients, the proportions of genotype D, B, C and B/D, C/D, B/C/D were 39.4% (50/127), 22.0% (28/127), 16.5% (21/127) and 9.4% (12/127), 8.7% (11/127) and 3.9% (5/127), respectively. The distribution of the HBV genotypes showed no significant differences between male and female patients (x2 = 8.058, P > 0.05), between HBeAg positive and negative patients (x2 = 6.033, P > 0.05), and between patients of different ages (x2 = 3.137, P > 0.05).

CONCLUSIONGenotype D HBV is predominant in Uighur patients with chronic hepatitis B in Xinjiang. The distribution of various HBV genotypes shows no significant differences between these Uighur patients with different HBeAg positivity, sex and age.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; China ; epidemiology ; DNA, Viral ; Female ; Genome, Viral ; Genotype ; Hepatitis B virus ; genetics ; Hepatitis B, Chronic ; epidemiology ; virology ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Young Adult